Andre De Grasse and Melissa Bishop among poster athletes for nationals

Eganville's Melissa Bishop, right, races to a first-place finish in the women's 800 metre race in the Harry Jerome International Track Classic in Coquitlam, B.C., on June 28. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl DyckDARRYL DYCK / CP

Will Andre De Grasse crack the 10-second barrier on the banks of Rideau River on Friday?

Will there be room for all of Eganville to cheer on hometown hero Melissa Bishop in the 800 metres on Saturday?

How high will Derek Drouin raise the bar in the high jump and how high will Shawn Barber soar in the pole vault?

Those questions and many more will be answered this week as the country’s best and brightest track and field athletes from the 2016 Olympics in Brazil take over the Terry Fox Athletic Facility for the Canadian Track and Field championships.

Rio on the Rideau, anyone?

“A lot of the athletes people watched in Rio are going to be competing here, with the Canadian championship on the line,” Athletics Canada chief operating officer Mathieu Gentes said Monday as warm-up events began.

“The added wrinkle this year is that it’s also the world-selection trials. On Thursday through Sunday, athletes will be vying for a spot to be on the national team that will compete in London in August at the world championships.”

The highlight of the week figures to be De Grasse, Canada’s poster boy from Rio. He will take centre stage for the 100-metre finals on Friday and 200-metre finals on Sunday.

Besides trying to fend off Gavin Smellie, Aaron Brown and Akeem Haynes, De Grasse will use the national championships as another stepping stone in his bid to catch Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt.

While De Grasse experienced a coming out of sorts on the world stage at Rio — including a friendly rivalry against Bolt in the 100 and 200 metres — he has his eyes set on surpassing Bolt at London. De Grasse finished third behind Bolt and Justin Gatlin to win the 100-metre bronze in Rio and trailed only Bolt in the 200, earning a silver medal.

Bolt has said he will retire this year and DeGrasse has made it clear he wants to beat him in head-to-head competition before Bolt runs off into the sunset.

The Canadian sprinting star, who typically ramps up his game as the season progresses, ran a wind-aided 9.69 seconds for the 100 metres in a Diamond League event at Stockholm two weeks ago. Donovan Bailey set the Canadian record of 9.84 in 1996, and Bruny Surin tied that mark three years later.

Andre De Grasse, right, speeds ahead of Akeem Haynes on the way to a win in the men’s 100 metres of the Harry Jerome International Track Classic at Coquitlam, B.C., in late June. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl DyckDARRYL DYCK /
CP

In preparation for Rio, De Grasse broke 10 seconds in the 2016 Canadian championships at Edmonton. The Terry Fox facility is also recognized as having a fast track.

“There are a couple of spots that are really important for (De Grasse) to test where he’s at and the Canadian championships is really important for him,” Gentes said. “Am I promising a sub-10 seconds on Friday? No. But I also wouldn’t be surprised.”

Bishop will be the unquestioned star for the women’s 800-metre finals on Saturday night. The pride of Eganville, who finished fourth at the Olympics – South Africa’s controversial Caster Semenya claimed gold – is the only Canadian woman to have broken two minutes for that distance. She broke her own national record by running 1:57.02 in Rio and won silver in the 2015 world championships.

“Melissa is an ambassador for the event,” Gentes said. “And she basically guaranteed that all of Eganville was coming out to watch the race. And I don’t doubt that, judging by the (post-Olympic) parade last year.”

Both De Grasse and Bishop won their events in the Harry Jerome International Track Classic at Coquitlam, B.C., on June 28.

Drouin, who won Olympic gold with a high jump of 2.38 metres at Rio and also captured bronze in 2012 at London, will also be part of what Gentes describes as a “loaded” Saturday lineup.

Shawn Barber, who won the world pole vaulting title in 2015, is looking to return to peak form after finishing 10th in Rio. The pole vaulting final is Saturday afternoon.

Tuesday features the completion of under-20 decathlon and heptathlon competitions that began on Monday and the beginning of the two-day parathlete events.

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Photos: Canadian Track and Field Championships at Terry Fox Athletic Facility

Para-athlete Madison Wilson-Walker, 20, puts on her blades in place of her everyday prothetic legs as she begins training for the 100 and 200 metre sprints coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Heptathlete Jordan Gray practices as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Ryan Thomsen lands in the sand during the long jump as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Laurent Grandmangin during the long jump as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Laurent Grandmangin during the long jump as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Alexander Stathis during the long jump as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Jordan Thomsen during the long jump as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Jordan Thomsen during the long jump as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Ryan Thomsen during the long jump as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Ryan Thomsen during the long jump as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Heptathlete Anya Akili lies on the track after landing awkwardly on her leg while competing in the 100m hurdles as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Heptathletes Amani Briggs (L) and Anya Akili compete in the 100m hurdles as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Anya would land awkwardly on her leg and wouldn't finish the race. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Heptathlete Anya Akili lands awkwardly on her leg and wouldn't finish the 100m hurdles as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/ Postmedia
Wayne Cuddington, PostmediaWayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Heptathletes Michaela Banyi (L), Amanda Black (C), and Kaylyn Williams (R) compete in the 100m hurdles as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Heptathletes Lexi Kundlacz (L) and Olivia Crewe compete in the 100m hurdles as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathletes including Joshua Mather (L) are a blur of speed while racing in the 100m sprint as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Jean Luc Perron stretches before competing in the 100m sprint as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Decathlete Jordan Thomsen competes in the 100m sprint as the Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Wayne Cuddington/Ottawa Citizen

Marissa Papaconstantinou, a rising 17-year-old star who finished ninth in the 100 metres at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, is a highlight attraction. She will compete on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Canada’s team for the world para championships, also in London, has already been chosen. The competition at the Terry Fox facility will also include members of the United States team, meaning national pride will be on display.

Wednesday’s schedule also includes the induction of a new group into the Canadian Track and Field Hall of Fame. Ottawa’s Glenroy Gilbert, part of Canada’s gold-medal 4×100-metre relay team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta along with Bailey, Bruny Surin and Robert Esmie, is among those who will be recognized.

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